HYDERABAD: The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) will hold a public meeting in Ghotki district on January 27 to up the ante of its protest campaign against the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) provincial government.

The alliance’s leaders met in Ghotki on Sunday under the chair of GDA President Pir Pagara Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi, who also heads the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional.

“PPP is responsible for the crisis of governance and destruction of agriculture in the province,” said Pagara. “The time has come to protect the province’s natural resources and to improve governance.”

He appealed to the judiciary to take notice of corruption, bad governance and crimes in Sindh. He said the ministers and bureaucrats will have to be held accountable for their corruption.

Talking to the media after the meeting, GDA General-Secretary Ayaz Latif Palijo said the alliance will not let PPP play the Sindh card to defend its corruption and bad governance. “We will hold PPP responsible for every crime committed in Sindh.”

He said that GDA and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) will together form policies for Sindh. He, however, reiterated opposition to the construction of controversial Kalabagh dam and asked the Centre to do justice with Sindh over water, employment and ownership of its natural resources.

Palijo said that his party has initiated a campaign to further organise the alliance and a membership drive at the district level is also being initiated.

PML-F leader Sadaruddin Shah Rashdi said the alliance will only support a constitutional in-house change in the province.

Ali Gohar Khan Mahar, who hosted the meeting, said he will demand a special development package for Sindh from Prime Minister Imran Khan on his visit to Ghotki later this month. He lamented that despite providing large amounts of natural resources to the country, Ghotki has remained deprived of development.

Former Sindh chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim said the alliance supported the PTI-led drive against corruption. “Once the process of accountability is set in motion, change will consequently come in Sindh’s provincial government.”